Comfort me with stamps....

Or chocolate...chocolate works too!

BTW...this is just a smiley. I don't have a box of chocolates ...guess I will have to break into those M & M's I bought for class instead.

Before you start reading my whine, there WILL be a card posted at the end, so if you're saying, "Oh I don't want to mess around reading this garbage!" just scroll down to the end...I won't blame you. I have to admit that I don't read every blog in my reader all the way through every time. But for the rest of you, bless you for putting up with the following:

Yesterday. What can I say? Sooo many things went wrong!

First, I had two swaps that I suddenly realized needed to go out the door that day! I had started one Sunday night after realizing this but only got as far as cutting all the pieces for the 8 full card requirement. The other swap (Controlfreaks) I had to make 40 card fronts and they were almost finished...just needed to tie ribbons on 30 of them, then add the sentiment stamps and stick the pieces I'd been working on to the cardfronts. Oh, and add the recipe labels, package them up and mail them all. That's all. Yikes!

First, I ran out of white taffeta, so a few of the swaps got white grosgrain, which is what I had wanted to use in first place but didn't have enough. I went through 1 1/2 rolls of white taffeta ribbon on the CF swap!

Finally, I got the 8 card swap in the mail box at 11:00 AM. And I finished up the 40 card swap by 2 PM, working through lunch. Stuck those in the mail box and sat down here to crow about it on my blog.

Now, normally at this time, I would be showing off and blathering about these swaps now that they are done. But, alas, the Controlfreaks have put a GAG ORDER on it! Lisa says that SOME people want to be surprised when they open their swaps (the nerve! (JK...I luvz ya, Lisa!)) . And Jami's swap has always been that way. Sigh...so I guess I hafta wait until after everyone gets theirs. It's killin' me, I tell ya! Two STINKIN' CUTE cards and not able to show them....ACK!

SO I was going to post about that and whine about it a bit and then my internet connection failed right as I was previewing my post. Numerous attempts to get the modem to reconnect failed and when that happens, the only thing to do is to reboot. So I thought, I am such a SMART person, I can take and copy the HTML of this post and paste it into a Word document, then reboot and I won't lose all my blathering!

Except when I tried to start Word, the whole shebang froze up and I was forced to do a cold boot to the system. I hate that. Yep, the whole post, gone. Buh bye. Grrr...

But it gets worse, it really does. Do you want to hear this? Are you sufficiently composed? Got your chocolate there? Sitting down? ( Jan, of COURSE THEY ARE SITTING DOWN!)

By the time my computer had done it's little number on me, it was time to go get my kids. I get my book (I have to wait about 20 minutes to pick them up, so I bring along something to do) and my Diet Coke and poured the popcorn left from the day before into a bag for a little snack (hey, lunch was cold pizza eaten in front of the computer!), open the garage and dash out the door, remember to lock the door knob as I went out and....shut....the door...only to realize....

That

My

Keys

Are

Not

In

My

Pocket.

It's 32 degrees outside and the kind of cold that seeps right into your bones, even though it is NOT that cold for Michigan in February. It was just before a big snow, so it was damp feeling out there.

Now, in the winter, I always keep my keys in my pocket. In the summer I hang them on a little hook under the phone and that, apparently, is what I had done with them. Why? WHY?

So I go get in my car (at least it will be somewhat warm in there and the seats are not the iron patio chairs or the cement porch that are the only other thing to sit on) and call my husband in his classroom. One of his students answers the phone and when she tells him who it is, he tells her to take a message. So now the whole school knows that Mr. T's wife locked herself out of the house. Lovely.

Then I call the school to let them know I will be a bit late, since I have to wait until 3 PM when he gets out of school and can come and rescue me. And now the principal of the school knows that I locked myself out of my house. And I sit in my car and have my little snack and try to read my book by the dim light of the map light, hoping it won't be all that long before Dan shows up.

He finally did, excessively amused at my predicament. He asked me why I didn't just walk to the school...um...because the last time I did that it took me 25 minutes! And then I would have had to dink around with taking his car if he wasn't ready to leave. Stinker.

Anyway, he did say we could go out to dinner, which was nice because we spent the evening registering Laurel for high school and I didn't have to rush around trying to get dinner done and eaten before we left. Registration went quite well and that seemed to be the end of my bad luck. For now, anyway.

And since I wanted to have SOMETHING to post here today and since I have been neglecting my Kitchen Sink Stamps, I went downstairs last night and made two cards, one of which I will show you today. Now, which one shall it be...hmmmm....Ah, yes. This one:

 

Ingredients: Stamps - Kitchen Sink 3 Step Hearts & Roses; Paper - Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Always Artichoke, very Vanilla; Ink - Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, Always Artichoke; Other - Paper piercing tool, Vintage Brads, Jumbo Antique Brass Eyelet, 5/8" Certainly Celery grosgrain, ticket corner punch, dimensionals, sponge wedges.

This pretty much turned out just as I had pictured which is GOJUS!! (YILM!) Everyone NEEDS sympathy cards, but it's hard to make them sometimes. You have to strike the right note of beauty, without getting too chirky or too gloomy. I think I hit it! (YILM!!) I love this color combination!

This is Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #36 here.

 

Well, I am going to figure out what I'm making for dinner, then head over to the school for lunch monitoring, get myself some Chinese for lunch and make some more cards...hopefully I'll hear from my hostess of the other day and we can close her workshop too! It has a quite respectable total so far and she is the queen of outside orders, so my efforts of the other day will definitely pay off, never fear! I am glad for her too, since she was recently forced to take a cut in pay and won't be able to spend much money herself...I'd like to see her get lots of free stuff. Ta!

Comments

[Donna]

now WE ALL know you locked yourself out of your house HA! I love reading your antics, if this whole stamping thing ever fizzes out for you, I think you have a future in stand up comedy.

[Donna]

now WE ALL know you locked yourself out of your house HA! I love reading your antics, if this whole stamping thing ever fizzes out for you, I think you have a future in stand up comedy.

[Alexandra Hobson]

You do have a way with words Jan - I have to say, you cracked me up although I am truly sorry you had such a bad day! It really did S**ck, didn't it??!! I say this because I am the QUEEN of locking myself out of my own car and there has been many a time that my DH has had to rescue me! That said, your sympathy card is gorgeous, you really rocked Beate's sketch! *STAMPIN HUGS* Alex

[Donna]

sorry about the double post, the internet was acting up. I forgot to say I {{heart}} your card, it's beautiful!

[Beate]

There must be something in the air. Yesterday my neighbor was visiting for a while....until the locksmith came to help her get back into HER house. LOL

Your card looks fantastic!

Hugs and smiles

[Lisa Hoekstra]

Wow, I'm sorry about your rotten day. But hey, at least you got some stamping in! And of course, it's GOJUS! ;)

[Kerry D-C]

Your class didn't need the M&M's anyhow. And it sounds like you REALLY needed them! After all that you still share another GORGEOUS card!

[Melissa]

LOL. Now I know where I get the locking-self-out thing. FROM YOU! ;)

That card is -so- pretty. It has earned you some M&Ms.

[PJBstamper]

I hope you had some chocolate stashed in the car!!

[Serenity]

ok Jan, you wore me down. I went to Kitchen Sink and bought that Roses set finally. I have been loving it since day 1. I have been trying to stay loyal to SU! and have been pretty good so far, if I say so myself. But I succumbed in a moment of YILM and YILR (yes I love roses) weakness....

I sent Kitchen Sink a separate e-mail note letting them know it was all because of you :)

Blessings, Lela

[Jane]

After that, I went and had some M&M's! lol! I'm sorry you had such a rotten day. That is one gorgeous sympathy card. Love the colors.

[Beth Norman]

You poor thing. It seems like you get into a muddle so often--LOL.

Your card is absolutely gorgeous. I had to read directions as your bg looked like dp. Very, very professional look to this card.

[Lisa (crazycatstamper)]

OMG - I SO feel your pain.... I went thru a period a couple years ago where I locked myself out 2 or 3 times in the space of about a month. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a little lock box (like Realtors use) and attached it to my house with a spare key inside. I've never had to use it, but it is SO worth the $30 to know it's there!

And, yeah, there isn't enough chocolate in the world to deal with all of that.....

Can't wait till you can post your swaps!

[paula]

paula wants to play with THIS stamp... I LOVE this card & the colors!!!!!

[Kelley H.]

Just love, love, love this card!!!